mobile hotspot

Pre-CES may be a silly time to buy a new gadget, but if your heart is set on a fresh cellphone to ring in the new year then T-Mobile USA has a post-holiday deal for you. The carrier's New Year, New Phone promotion kicks off this Friday, January 6, and runs through to Sunday, offering tablets like the LG G-Slate and smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S II for $49.99 with a new agreement.

With mobile data speeds matching - and in some case exceeding - traditional wired broadband connections, it's no surprise that data sticks have taken off in the past few years. Until now, the two most common options are a USB dongle, for getting a single device online, or a mobile hotspot, sharing a 3G/4G connection with a number of WiFi-tethered clients. Now UK carrier Three has launched the Three WiFi Hub (aka ZTE MF10), a compact, semi-portable way to share a USB modem's connection with multiple wireless and wired devices. Must-have addition to your gear bag or just a glossy paperweight; the full SlashGear review waits beyond the cut.

Sprint has promised that its first dual-mode CDMA/LTE phones will reach the market in the first half of 2012, with the expectation of 15 LTE-capable phones, tablets and data cards/modems/mobile hotspots on sale by the end of next year. The carrier confirmed its LTE plans earlier today, with the new devices set to run on a network Sprint expects to have operational in 2012, PC Mag's Sascha Segan reports.

TruConnect is partnering with the nation's third largest carrier to bring you pay-as-you-go internet starting at a low $4.99 per month rate. Each MB of data used costs 3.9 cents on top of the low base rate. The service can be had either through a USB dongle or a MiFi WiFi mobile hotspot device.

The BlackBerry 7 OS devices recently launched have on their boxes the label "Hot Spot Capable," and yet none are capable of this feature just yet. A leaked memo to the Now Network carrier, however, reveals that the mobile WiFi Hot Spot feature will be coming soon via a software update in the coming months.

Three UK has announced a new MiFi, and it's apparently going to be the fastest mobile hotspot in the country. Offering support for HSPA+ 21.1Mbps downloads and 5.76Mbps uploads - network support for which is rolling out currently - the Huawei-made E586 has a monochrome OLED display for showing battery and signal status along with a counter of how much data you've used.

Skype has just rolled out a new iOS app called Skype WiFi that will allow users to access over 1 million WiFi hotspots around the world. If you travel abroad frequently, this app will come in handy as it allows you to avoid data roaming charges. Whenever you need to check email or make a quick Skype call, you can simply use the app on a per minute basis than be charged hefty data fees.

AT&T has confirmed availability for its first 4G LTE devices, the USBConnect Momentum 4G modem and Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G, as well as data-only pricing for LTE users. Both the USB modem and the mobile hotspot will go on sale online and in-store come August 21, while the existing AT&T USBConnect Adrenaline will be upgraded to support LTE on August 26.

AT&T has outed a pair of new 4G LTE modems, ready for launch this summer on the carrier's fledgling LTE network. The AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G is a USB modem with a built-in microSD card slot, intended for use with a single laptop, while the AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G is a portable router that can share its 4G connection with up to five WiFi-connected clients. Meanwhile, as of July 17 there will be a new range of international data plans, offering more megabytes for your money.

Clearwire looks to be readying a new mobile hotspot device for their Clear 4G WiMAX network. New documents passed through the FCC today revealing that the device is manufactured by Gemtek with a model number WIXFMM-122. The new mobile hotspot will likely be marketed as the Clear Spot 4G.

You'll need to act fast if you want to pick up a new unlimited Verizon Wireless data plan, with confirmation that, as of tomorrow, July 7, the carrier's new tiered plans will replace the existing options. A Verizon spokesperson confirmed the switchover to FierceWireless, with four new packages on offer for new customers, ranging from $10 per month for a mere 75MB up to $80 per month for 10GB.

AT&T announced today that it will be adding free WiFi to 26 locations in 20 New York City parks. The free WiFi is available to all, AT&T customers and non-customers. The service rolled out to three parks today, with 23 additional parks to follow this summer. Nothing is cheaper than free, and it is hard to complain about quality of service when you are paying nothing out of pocket. Although free WiFi services have been talked about for years, free WiFi hotspots have yet to spread city-wide in the US.